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A bright spot for Arsenal, something to build on.
Analysis of Arsenal´s build up play over the course of the 2020/21 season.
A bright spot for Arsenal, something to build on.Analysis of Arsenal´s build up play over the course of the 2020/21 season.
When watching Arsenal play, they often appear to be confident in possession. They tend to have a good structure & patterns when building up play from the back, use the keeper to break pressure & are able to play out of tight situations when under pressure.
It´s well known by now however, that when Arsenal transition from building up & reach the middle & final 1/3 of the pitch their confidence & creativity simply are not the same. That will not be the focus of this analysis, as I will only be looking at their play in their def. 1/3.
The reason for looking deeper at their build up, is because as stated above, Arsenal look to be confident & competent in this phase. What patterns do they use? What does the data tell us?
Starting from the very back, Arsenal rely on their keeper in the build more than most clubs in the PL. Not including goal kicks, Leno has attempted the 3rd most passes for keepers in the league this season, with 411. 18.5% of these passes have been ´Launched`,or travelled further
than 40 yards. This is by farther the lowest Launch % in the league. With an average length of 27.4 yards, the passes from the keeper also have the shortest average distance in the league. Leno does well to play out under pressure & maintain possession in the build up.
Opposition defences seem to respect Arsenal´s ability in possession, as seen by their PPDA against of 17.28, only 3 other clubs are pressed less in the Premier League. A caveat to this stat is seen when looking at their Pressed Passes, which is "Passes made while under pressure
from an opponent". With 1,002, they have 4th most in the PL. This would tend to show that while they are able to pass without pressure often, they continue to pass once pressured, as opposed to clearing.
It also can show that they have a high volume of passes meaning more chances to be pressed. The insistence & willingness to play out from the back is also highlighted by the fact that Arsenal have the 2nd most touches in their own def. penalty area, combined with that they have
the 4th most touches in their defensive 1/3. We can clearly see their repeated attempts to play short from the back in their build ups.
Here is a fantastic visualisation from @markrstats, which shows Arsenal´s passing network from various matches. We can clearly see here the high number of passes played between and amongst the defenders. https://twitter.com/markrstats/status/1340560818643947522?s=20
Another wonderful visualisation, this time from @Tacticsplatform, gives us a great look at Arsenal´s tendency to circulate possession in the back half, going side to side looking to find spaces further ahead. https://twitter.com/Tacticsplatform/status/1340659792654831618?s=20
Here is yet another interesting metric showing us Arsenal´s propensity to build up & circulate as opposed to play vertically. Per 90 min., Arsenal average 5th most passes in the PL, however, looking at Progressive Passes per 90, Arsenal sit in just 14th overall in the PL with 61.
Here I will look a bit more at the tactical side of Arsenal´s build up play. In the PL this season Arsenal have used a 3-man backline around 50% of the time, & around 50% with a 4-man backline. In these formations, they have a few main shapes for building play.
4-man Backline
-Narrow CB´s
-Low FB´s
-Stacked CM´s
-4 across the front
-Narrow CB´s
-Low FB´s
-Stacked CM´s
-4 across the front
3-man Backline
-Wingbacks pushed high and wide
-Split CM´s
-Wingers tucked in
-Width from back 3
-Wingbacks pushed high and wide
-Split CM´s
-Wingers tucked in
-Width from back 3
As in all phases of football, it is key to get players facing goal with the ball at their feet. This is where Arsenal excels at times, the problems occur once they get in these situations and what they do with the ball next (which I will not get into).
Specifically when playing out with a 4-man backline, Arsenal often focus on finding the deep CM. If he does not initially receive facing goal, he normally does well to find either FB, who is positioned lower on the pitch, meaning he can receive facing goal, or one of the CB´s.
Here is an example where we see Leno playing short to the stacked CM´s, with relatively narrow CB´s and low FB´s. A situation where Arsenal is able to break the initial high press from Leeds, by calmly playing out under pressure.
As with most Twitter threads, this analysis just touches the surface of Arsenal´s build up, and especially their in possession tactics in all phases. Ever since Arteta took over, Arsenal have shown signs of having the desire and ability to play out from the back, and I am often
impressed with their ability to do so. It will be interesting to see how they are able to develop their other phases of attack and build on their approach to the 1st phases of in possession.
